CEO of Muah Makeup and Lash Bar, Ashlee Kleinschmidt.
Ashlee Kleinschmidt is a born and raised New Yorker who first fell in love with makeup in 8th grade at a Clinique counter.
Ashlee always felt out of place among her blonde hair and blue-eyed friends. She found comfort in enhancing her almond-shaped eyes with the latest Covergirl shadow sticks and Maybelline Glosses.
As years passed well into high school, Ashlee Kleinschmidt was recognized by her peers as the girl whose outfits were always styled with blown-out hair and makeup all done. She became the “go-to” girl among her friends for a great eyeliner and a smooth blowout.
After a semester of classes at FIT in New York City, Ashlee completed the Fashion and Glamour Makeup Certification at Empire Beauty School on 34th street. Not too long after completing that course, she began to work with big names like Anastasia Beverly Hills, Maybelline, Loreal, and Dior and worked every New York Fashion Week for 5 years. Being photographed working alongside Oprah’s makeup artist and putting powder on Doctor Oz was one of her most proud moments.
It was during an event for Allure magazine when Ashlee applied makeup on real, everyday women. She realized that every person who sat down in her chair sat down with the baggage of what the last makeup artist told her. And most of the time, it wasn’t nice! Or wasn’t even true. It was always some salesy line, a beauty counter rep obviously said to make a quick buck.
That’s when the idea came. Ashlee Kleinschmidt dreamt of a shop where women can come and experience a glamorous application, at an attainable price. A makeup applied by a trained makeup professional who actually cares what you look like when you leave. Whose motive is not driven by sales quotas.
Ashlee shared about:
- How she made her way to success even losing her parents at a young age.
- How her love for makeup made her successful.
- How early did she start working.